Drake Claws
by Kajex Firedrake
Summary: This is about my char, Kajex Firedrake, a jaguar with peculiar markings and uncaring additude; but joining a flight group might change that outlook... Chapter 3 is up to read! Yay...
1. Default Chapter

6

All Planets, SFX characters and terms are copyrighted to their respected owners.

The Assault Gunboat is copyrighted to its designer and belongs in its rightful place within the Star Wars universe. Some phrases, comments and quotes are from various artists, and are copyrighted to them.

Kajex Firedrake and all other characters are copyrighted to Elijha Barrientes.

Comments and reviews are welcome here. This is the first chapter of a story that actually concerns my alias, so I encourage a few to read it up a little, at least! ***Kajex hopes somebody will…***

Chapter 1; For the Credits…

_"You don't get out much, do you? Money is the lube that moves the gears."_

_                - Dash Rendar, former smuggler for the Rebel Alliance._

Never were there times where credits were never needed. The thoughts of those beautiful, cold wafers, clattering into the paw of the person that owned it… it was a thought that, not only dominated the thoughts of almost all people, but which ironically dominated the way people lived. Anything and everything in life depended on this form of currency…and nowhere more than here.

Certainly, Katina was not much more than a ball of sand floating in space, but the resources, the amount of ore, nova, carbon and nitrogen glass that could be picked up here; these were the qualities that made being a smuggler a fine life. The amount of illegal activities on the planet allowed for any lucky smuggler to pick up a high paying mission for the week. And such activities happened among the plains of this planet.

Across one of these plains of sand there lay a canyon. Peaks rose up from it, making it seem like a spiked crevice, and yet, these peaks were too large to pose a threat to a regular person. It made flying through them in a ship almost impossible.

Yet, even so, there was a ship. A medium freighter obviously modified for smuggling runs and dog-fighting at once, it quickly darted through the rising pillars that filled the canyon, as if they were the least dangerous parts of life. Taking its time leisurely, it finally broke off and began crossing the desert dunes at an incredible speed. Within only a minute, the canyon was kilometers behind.

Inside the ship, in the cockpit, sat a black jaguar. 

The figure lay sprawled, having taken satisfaction in the runs he had made in the canyons. Autopilot being set, getting to where he needed would simply be a matter of waiting until he got there. He looked out upon the rolling plains, stroking a white-painted tattoo on his forearm. One would think this mark had been made using the regular assortment of ink and laser, yet those who knew him, the very few who knew Kajex Firedrake, would know otherwise, that these mark's origins dated to his own birth.

He sighed, completely bored now. The canyon run had been entertaining, for a while, until he had to leave, pressed for time. The usual cargo consisted of an illegal amount of illegally mined resources, to be delivered as soon as possible. No more fun parts would come until he got to the city's checks and customs port. There, he would be able to land and deliver.

The dealer had been shady, calling himself Tarry and nothing more, which hadn't mattered to Kajex- he had dealt with such people whom never identified themselves clearly, which was something else Kajex never minded. People who remained anonymous were those who were never to be found out about. When it was his business to find out, he would find out for himself, but if it wasn't necessary, then screw them; they could be mysterious if they wanted. It didn't matter much to him, since, sooner or later the whole world would know, simply due to their crimes. And if they were caught, well, again; Kajex didn't care.

But this meant that discretion would be required for the credits that were coming his way. Therefore his caution would serve him well in this mission, as well as some fancy flying, and luck. These elements, added with the ability to not care about anybody else, made the perfect smuggler. This, and that one's self could not be well known. Should anybody know too much about him, his own safety would be compromised.

A herd of wild herbivores ran as his ship swept the dust around it, one of the beasts in fact being hurled into the air from the force of the ship's velocity. The _Arachnid_, his own customized Assault Gunboat, was a force to be reckoned with. The sturdy hull of the vessel had been patched up tighter with more plates of steel. The speed of it was twice that of a ship of the same type. The launchers were replaced by four more laser cannons, as their presence had been deemed not required, and were the clips and missile holds would be, there was, instead, a cargo storage.

As this five-winged vessel sped through the heat, Kajex pressed a few of the consoles switches and moved backwards, getting out of his seat. He got behind the pilot's seat and reached for a bottle of vile liquid, taking a large swig of it as soon as it was open. He sighed, looked around the ships controls. There were no signs of inspection crafts anywhere. Scanners that powerful, mounted on such craft, would discover his…

… Undeserved and illegal manifest…

There had only been one time where he had been caught with such cargo, but his escape had left officials puzzled and his employer very pleased. Someone as young as him outwitting older, professional trackers and hunters, taking out several of the employer's enemies and finally delivering the goods in record time and in perfect condition, had left a good impression and rumor about him. He did most his jobs within the Lylat system, occasionally going to other planets, even going so far as to Corellia, where he had gotten his ship upgraded for the better. But mostly it was here, in the Lylat system, that he did such jobs.

After some time of reflection of himself, his attention was drawn towards the radar; a dozen or so blips had entered the screen. He turned to his seat and strapped himself back in, securing a headset as well. Within a few seconds of putting this particular item on, a voice rang into his ears.

"This is fighter group Mellow, to star fighter _Arachnid_; I presume you are ready, Firedrake?"

"I'm here with your cargo," Kajex snapped, impatience evident. "Don't you think I'm ready? Get this going, I'm anxious to get out of here and get paid."

"I copy, Firedrake. If you're ready, we are, as well. Expect a fifteen-minute wait when you get there. Over and out."

Kajex sighed. He had a bad feeling about the deal already. There had been hesitation on the job, due to the amount of credits. Kajex had been looking hard to find a decent job to take on, but the only one available had been from an unnamed individual, and the job wouldn't be paying anywhere near what Kajex would expect. Thus, he had turned it down, until his own money had gone down to only a few credits left, and had forced the feline to take it on, despite the low amount of credits. Not his first choice, he knew, but it was the only one he could make.

A steep cliff came ahead. When he had cleared it, a large spaceport custom's-check burst clear into view, a giant silver disk in the midst of a green oasis and surrounded by an incredible amount of transports. Thousands of ships were moving slowly along, some burning in the heat of the day from lack of movement. On the ground, such overheated vehicles lay, technicians and repair 'droids scurrying around to fix up the messes on the desert floor. A few of the still-hovering vessels, saucer shaped ships, moved around the crowd, slowly inspecting the ships and the cargo they held.

Kajex approached this field slowly, doing well not to attract attention towards him. His ship, though perhaps overloaded with weapons, was not out of the norm for ships in general. Many outfitted their craft with some defensive system. It was what the craft was carrying that worried everybody else…

He stopped behind a large cargo-block hauler. The craft, not much more than a pair of engines, lasers, and a cockpit, carried three large containers in a triangular style. He kept far enough keeping from taking on engine wash, yet close enough so that he could be as near to the front of the assembly of the transports as possible, allowing for a quick escape.

A few of the saucer like ships buzzed around his ship, not inspecting his craft at the moment, giving a good sign. He was in the middle of the traffic, and that was the least noticeable spot of the whole place. When he would be inspected, they would let him know about it.

In the meantime, he set up a communications channel. "You have ten minutes, you all. I'm blowing this place with or without you."

"We'll be there, Firedrake- trust us."

_The bloody hell I will…_ Kajex thought sullenly to himself. He was never one to bank on other people. A few of the transports around him began to go, and Kajex moved onto the side. On his right, the hauler took place. To his left, he found himself staring up into a window of another transport. From it, a small gray kitten, possibly no more than 8 years of age, peeked down at him and waved in a friendly manner.

Kajex blinked for a moment, then found himself smiling back at him and waving also. There were many things in life he did not like, but children were not one of them. He returned his view in front of him.

Minutes passed. The custom point's population began to thicken slowly. The heat of the day was starting to get to Kajex after a while. It was close to time when a saucer came up to him. "Good day, sir, how are you doing today?"

"Not bad," Kajex answered, looking around, wondering where in the hell the team was at. It would not be a good idea to be scanned before he had a chance to get out of there.

"Your vessel seems to be in good order. You pass underneath the max for the amount of weaponry you can have. Interesting design, I might add."

Kajex nodded. "Thank you, sir."

"Well. Shall we get you scanned, then?"

"Actually, I'm not in any hurry," Kajex said, grinning as he noticed the blips he had seen before were now present again. "If you want you can scan another ship." Unfortunately, Kajex noticed that he let something slip in the voice there seemed to be a tinge of anxiousness in his voice.

It was this tinge that the pilot of the saucer craft notice. "Is that so… well, you must not be ahead of schedule, if it seems not to bother you. Yet even so, I'm certain leaving here wouldn't be a bad idea… wouldn't you say?"

Kajex calmed down, but before he could say anything, he noticed a small red flash on his console- he was in a missile lock. He turned this to a surprising yell. "What the!? I've got a lock on me!"

The pilot of the saucer craft paused, then noticed Kajex's ship was beginning to move. "Wha- Hey! There's no lock on your-"

He was cut off. In only half a second, Kajex was off like a bolt, trying to gain as much speed as he could. He fired two sets of flares. The first smacked into the saucer craft, only damaging it slightly, and the other went with a flash, slamming into an incoming missile. The _Arachnid_ darted through the traffic in moments.

When this half-second was over, pandemonium ensued. Several ships sped up and collided with others, and still more panicked and went around the scene, trying to escape. A group of small starfighters sped into the scene, firing wildly into the traffic and hitting nothing. This did not do anything to calm the custom's security, which went immediately to engage this new threat. While this happen, Kajex zoomed through the traffic. Already, transports were beginning to move around, and this made maneuvering difficult.

He put his throttle to full, expecting the worse and coming face to face with it. The panicking ships were looming into his flight path, creating a hazardous zone for flying. Kajex looked behind to see a stray fighter following him, trying to get another missile lock. While the _Arachnid_ was fast, there were still some that could match to its speed. This ship was one perfect example, and within second Kajex was in another missile lock.

The missile was let loose. Kajex let out a curse, seeing the warhead behind him and the chaos before him. He redirected laser energy and lurched forward. Gracefully, he sped around the containers, past cargo haulers and zooming into every passable entrance and exits the ships made. The missile still followed. Kajex's flare magazine was completely empty, and all he could rely on was his flying skill.

Ahead of him, a cargo-block hauler similar to the one he had seen earlier flew into view. There was a space between the engines and cargo blocks, barely enough for his ship to pass through. He made a quick decision and prayed it would work.

He swung left, making for this side of the hauler. The missile, locked-on completely, followed suite, tracking his movement carefully. It was not far behind. Kajex looked back one last time and then turned to the right again, putting all his ship's energy to the engines and speeding greatly towards the small opening the cargo haulers. The missile tracked this movement as well, and Kajex braced himself.

The ship fit neatly into the opening, but at an angle, forcing Kajex to turn a bit sharply. He made it into the gap, and the missile, unable to follow into the gap, slammed instead into the cargo hauler. The ship lurched to the right, surprising Kajex, and before he could clear the small tunnel, his left wing scraped against the cargo hauler's container, and was crushed badly.

Kajex glared at the damage done by the hauler, safe though he was from any more attacks. The fighter had ceased to follow Kajex and was rejoining group, harassing the transports behind. Kajex noted this also, with a great amount of anger.

None of this was supposed to happen.

It was some time later, about an hour, when Kajex reached the starport, when Kajex was able to relax. There were no indications of being scanned at all, and if he had been, then his ship would have either been prohibited from entering the hangar bays or expected with a welcoming committee of a police force, intended on bring him down. These fears were logical, of course, but logic was never something anybody followed, Kajex knew.

Still, none of these happened, and, in fact, his docking bay had been figured out ahead of time, so that he was able to land without any of the hassles of waiting and wondering what to do while he did. He was already angry enough o have to do so, and was anxious to get the transaction done and over with, as well as say his piece and sticking to it. He reached the hangar bay quickly, and noted with dismay that there was a welcoming committee indeed- yet, instead of a group of fighters, a groups of people in ragtag uniforms stood silently, waiting for Kajex to land.

When he had done so, two of these men came forward with hovering platforms in hand. Kajex emerged from the cockpit and waved the men down, waiting until he had leapt from the hatch and inspected the two for them to continue. They opened the hatch and immediately set to work putting them on the scooters. He looked toward the men in front of him. There were two tigers, both unrelated, a parrot with a colored beak, a big, hulking lizard and, among them all, a small mouse with long hair.

This mouse walked forward to Kajex, grinning ear to ear. When he spoke, it was with an unusual accent, and the voice was somewhat high-pitched. "I see you have brought the cargo intact. I am pleased." He stroked one of the boxes containing the ore. "You have done well, Capt. Firedrake. You will be most pleased with our reward, I think."

"Not fucking likely!" Kajex snarled at once. "I'm not pleased at all of your performance so far, Tarry! What the hell was up with pointing a missile at my tailpipe, huh?! I don't think you'll gain any respect if your own employees are among the ones you harm! And what' up with firing on innocents!? I specifically said that I'd do this _only_ if you didn't fire on civilians!"

Tarry frowned. "I am very sorry… I see you are not pleased. Why do you yell at us, when it is a good job you have done? You whine like an injured dog, you do, but you are not harmed. I wish very much to know your troubles. You will take a seat with us in the bar, yes? I shall pay for drinks, dear boy," the mouse offered, extending a claw.

Kajex smacked it away in anger. "Keep your damn credits until you put it in my pocket at your place, you rotten little ingrate." He began to walk away, but before he could move a step, the sound of a loaded weapon sounded. The feline's left eye twitched a little, as he knew he had made a mistake. This sound was never good, if it wasn't coming from him.

The mouse's voice was small, and yet it held a mocking sense of sadness. "Aww… but I insist, Mr. Firedrake, that you sit down and speak with me on why you are unhappy. You will come, yes? I think it would be more healthy for you, yes?"

Kajex turned on his heel, noting that all of the men in the room besides himself and Tarry were brandishing pistols of different makes and styles. The lizard, for one, held an automatic rifle in his claws. Kajex's own weapon was inside his ship. His plan was not to offend anybody too much and leave without such a showdown. The only other weapon he had with him was a blade strapped to his back, a sword just over normal length. What good it would do against four or five blaster-wielding mercenaries wasn't even worth thinking about. It would be best to play Under-The-Gun for now.

Kajex sighed, throwing his paws up in the air in resignation, but adding a sheepish smile with it. "Hey, you know what, on the other paw, I could really use a drink. It gets pretty darn hot out in the customs point, y'know!"

The mouse grinned his same grin once more. "You are agreeing with me then, yes? Then you will follow me. It is very hot out today, do you not agree with me?"

Kajex nodded, moving into the middle of the group. The lizard held the rifle in an angle pointing to his head, keeping it concealed inside a trench coat, while the two tigers kept their blasters in their holsters. Tarry kept a speedy pace in front of them, exiting the hangar bay. Kajex tried to look unconcerned and found himself doing quite well despite the circumstances. His current captors, however, seemed to be anxious, looking around for any security guards. They seemed to be very cautious, and it was a wonder that nobody around them was able to figure out, from their movements and expressions, that something about them wasn't right. Yet even so, not one person even glanced at them, and this was what made Kajex worry most. He briefly wondered how long it would take people to notice if he were shot right on the spot and killed in broad daylight I front of them, then refrained on thinking about it, since merely thinking of it might make it well come true.

They made for the bar quickly, Tarry leading the way and leaping up into a seat. Kajex felt the nudge of a blaster rifle on his back and the jaguar slid into the seat opposite the mouse. The others took a casual glance around and seated themselves on either side of the feline. Tarry grinned at Kajex, who sighed.

"Is there something you'd like to have, Mr. Firedrake?"

Kajex looked around for a moment, surveying the dark interior of the bar. For many, it would be hard to see, but as a jaguar, Kajex had been endowed with night vision, able to see clearly into the night. As it was, this wasn't necessary, because what Kajex was looking for could not be found. There were no security guards on duty, and those that were present at the bar were off duty, gambling and drinking their breaks away, some doing one or the other (or both) rather noisily. Help would be very hard to come by on this one, and banking on it was not a wise idea at the moment. Kajex didn't trust any type of security, but in situations like these, he would bank on them in some way or another. Now was not the time, though.

For now, a drink would be the only thing he could get. "A White Christmas, on the rocks," he responded quietly. Tarry tapped this into a keyboard on the table, and the machine within it whirred as it began to mix their drinks. While they waited, Tarry spoke.

"Now… tell me why you are not happy, Mr. Firedrake. You seem very much upset about something. What might it be?"

Kajex sighed, irritated by the mouse's way of speaking. "I'll tell you," he said, looking the mouse straight in the eye. "When I agreed to take on this mission, our deal was that others not be harmed in the process. I knew there would be some pandemonium when your men attacked the crowd and me, and I knew people might get hurt. But as I was leaving the scene, I noticed your boys had taken down two freighters and a family transport." His voice went to a fierce whisper. "Now let me ask you something; _what the hell were you thinking!?_"

Tarry laughed, a high-pitched, eerie giggle that made Kajex shudder in disgust. "Is this it, Mr. Firedrake? You are wondering why people get hurt in the business? It is not uncommon- many people get hurt in our business. It helped you out, did it not? We had to take down at least a few of the freighters to make it seem like a real attack on the civilians there, yes? If you ran my company, I know you would agree with me, yes…"

Kajex shook his head. "That's where you're wrong. I take on jobs that keep everybody out of harm's way."

"And yet you are not averse to killing people that are wanted Dead or Alive, yes? I know well of your trade, Mr. Firedrake, as well as what you've done. You've killed quite a few people, yes? Do not try to lie, my dear friend, for I know much about you. Why is it that you kill people, yet do not encourage it?"

"I give people what they want for the credits only. I don't care what a person has done, only that they are brought to justice and I'm paid at the same time. There's a difference. I hunt…. but I don't murder."

There was a pause, and Tarry remained silent when the drinks appeared before them. Kajex took his own cup, sipping at it and daring Tarry to tell him he was wrong. The others that were present had their blasters drawn, pointed at the jaguar's crotch, in case the feline decided to make a smart move. Tarry's eye twitched when Kajex finished, for Kajex had, in a sense, given him and his business a bad name.

"You should take that back… yes?"

Kajex smirked. "That's another thing that makes us different- I don't lie." He took another sip at his drink and smirked again. He stretched out, putting his paws behind his head and leaning backwards. "So," he started. "I think a little bonus is in order. I certainly don't remember my tail being a target, and perhaps you can also have repairs done to my ship's left wing. It should cost a lot, but hey; it's credits coming from _your_ pocket, not mine. So, see what you can get done then, eh?"

"You ask much of me," Tarry said slowly. "I can only give you the credits. A good job you have done, have brought my resources safely, ye… but your insults aren't taken lightly, Mr. Firedrake. And you have insulted us already more than once. It would be wise not to do so anymore."

"Perhaps you're right," Kajex said. "But I remember you said that I would be happy with the reward you'd give me. I'm not happy with the credits you're going to give me. So make me happy by repairing my ships _and_," he added, emphasizing with a finger, "that you never employ into your services again."

Tarry laughed. "I'm sorry, my friend; but those who wish to leave can only do so in one way; death." He signaled to his henchmen, and the two nearest to him got up, blasters drawn.

Kajex was quick on the button. Wit the glass still in his paw he tossed the contents on it onto the tiger on his right. The overly icy drink was tolerable on the tongue and throat, but on the face it was hell. The tiger screamed in pain, falling backward onto the large lizard and letting a bolt go off instantly.

The other tiger, this one a female, rushed forward and fired a lot, narrowly missing Kajex's temple. At the last second Kajex ducked and extracted his sword, slashing at the arm that held the weapon and making a thin slit down the tiger's arm. Her own scream mixed with the male's howl and she bent over, sobbing in pain.

This would have been it, but the large lizard remained, having pushed aside the male tiger. The parrot also remained, his own blaster having been fumbled for. Kajex thought quickly and reached down, grabbing the female tiger by the throat and putting the sword to her neck. Tears were running down her eyes as she was taken hostage and with these droplets of water, pure fear also came with it.

Kajex glared at Tarry. "The life of this girl may mean something to one of you. I don't want to do this, but already even _she_ has been a threat to my life, and if I have to take you one by one to make sure I live long enough, I will- starting with her." He glared at each one of them silently.

Tarry looked in surprised at these new circumstances. The male tiger, his own pain having gone away for now, looked on in wonder and terror at what might happen. The parrot said nothing, but looked edgy and unsure. The lizard's face was unreadable, but his tail did sweep across the floor excitedly. 

The proceedings in the bar seemed to go unnoticed by many. To them, it was a normal part of life in such a place. Little could be done, and those that intervened met not-so-good fates. The off-duty security seemed not to notice, (or care, but either way, nothing had been done).

Tarry began to laugh again, shaking his head. "I see now that Kajex is well trained, yes? Knows how to use a sword, he does. Has taken one of my best mercenaries hostage, he has. And you will kill us one by one, you say. This I believe, yes. I would not want to be responsible for this, oh no, not at all, no. And all you wish for is a deal, yes?"

Kajex nodded. "You fix my ship, give me my credits, and we both get something out of it. Agreed?"

Tarry laughed again. "Yes… good choice, I see now. Yes. But now, I have another job for you. Good job, yes, one with many people in it. Perhaps Mr. Firedrake would like to join, yes? It would be up his ally, it would. What say you?"

Kajex was about to say he'd rather eat dung and die, but the retort was perhaps a bit too extreme for him. Besides, he couldn't really fly anywhere with a damaged wing, and to do so would be unnecessarily risky for him. The best he could do was earn credits where he was.

"All right, then…" Kajex let the female tiger go, who whimpered in pain and looked up at him with sad eyes that almost touched the jaguar… almost. He turned away and sat back down, going back to his relaxed style.

"So… what did you have in mind?"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2; Initiate

"I've lived long enough to care about one person, and that happens to be yours truly. Certainly, I might be able to care about somebody else, but the odds of this happening aren't very large. I'll give you a few reasons why. 

            _'Number 1- First of all; I don't need a partner or comrade. Those few whom I call friends are just the few people I turn to when a problem arises that I can't fix and have no other choice but to consult with them. You won't find many of them. One to each planet I've been to; maybe not even that, either._

_            'Second reason- if it ever comes to it, I would not be comforted to have one around. I'm not the social type. I drink my drink alone and I do my jobs alone. I'll avoid any jobs that require the hiring of another wingman. I don't like to share, also, so don't count on giving any charity, either._

_            'Third- I'm used to being alone, and it's not so bad anyway. You can do things most others would never find out about… erm… meaning very little in my case._

_            'Fourth- Well, from one who has never had a partner, I don't know why this would matter…but I don't like having blood on my paws. The death of anybody could be turned against me._

_            'There's another reason, a final one and the one reason why I don' want to have a partner- I just don't want to care. It alleviates a lot of miseries. No one can hurt you if you don't care. The act of being amoral in these situations isn't hard… I don't want to be hurt. Nobody does. You should understand this, then."_

_            ~Kajex Firedrake, in response to a former employer's question on why the jaguar would not take a partner._

Kajex awoke the next morning with a yawn that would have split his head from the ears, had he not gotten the full of it and stopped before such a thing could happen. Sunlight filled the cockpit of his ship, and he scratched his fur on his cheek, trying to get himself fully conscious. A shake of his head and he was fully awake, alert, and ready for the day. The proceedings from the previous day gave him a bit of a groan, as he knew hat he would have little time to be ready before he'd have to go see Tarry for an announcement he had wanted to make.

He got out of the seat, which was laid back for sleeping. Being one to sleep mostly on his side, the seat had been comfortably arranged so that he could do so without feeling odd, or that he was sleeping on a rock. Pulling the seat back in its standard upright position, he went to the back of the cockpit and opened a small drawer, packed neatly with rows of clothing, enough to last one a month. His onboard droid computer had been replaced with a quick cleaner, which had been more convenient (and less noisy). Whatever sets of clothing he had in the ship were all clean, and were of only two types- cargo jeans and long-sleeved white shirts. The only thing that ended the whole outfit was a red vest hanging on the wall. This was also cleaned regularly, as his was the clothing that set him out from many others.

He set up the cockpit shield to his ship and took out his clothing. He was dressed still in the former day's clothing, and so a shower was needed. Tarry had set it up so that where his ship was parked, on the Northern side of Tarry's building, there was a public shower room nearby. He took out his clothing…. yet before he left, as if in afterthought, he reached for his blade and blaster, concealing them within the bundle of clothing he had with him now. He then left the ship, turning once more to see the still-damaged wing, hoping that, by the end of the day, Tarry would be as good as his word and have had the wing repaired in good condition. The deal was a repaired ship if Kajex decided to come to a small hearing and heard out what Tarry had to say, then make a few more decisions after that. For the love of his ship, Kajex was willing to bear anything. The _Arachnid_ had been his pride and joy, the first ship he had gotten and, as he had vowed, the ship he'd want to die in.

A bright sun filled the sky as Kajex walked out of his ship. The twin-spires of a nearby tower poked into the blue sheet above him, which was peppered with white, amorphous fluffs. These were the headquarters of the faction Kajex had been working for, till yesterday, and yet, for some odd reason, Kajex had been allowed to stay within the grounds of it- something that usually was never done, and if it was, never insisted. Thus, Kajex found comfort in that he had brought his weapons with him, just in case.

He made for the showers, noticing that there were quite a few people walking about. It was only 5:00 in the morning, and not anywhere near the first rush hour of the day. The showers, he supposed, would be normally populated when he got there, if everybody was up and working like this each day. He checked his bundle once; to make sure his blaster still had a full charge on it. When he was satisfied, he returned it underneath his arm and walked a bit quicker.

Once he had reached the male showers, he moved his bundle to the side, leaving the handles of both his weapons out enough for him to grab them if they were needed. He then stripped down and walked in. There were already several others around, one of them more noticeable than the others, and that was because it was the same large lizard that Kajex had seen the last time. It looked like he had been there already for a long while.

Kajex blinked at him, noticing that the reptile was indeed incredibly tall, towering over the jaguar by a good foot and a half. He said nothing, turning on one of the nozzles and becoming immediately soaked with warm water, but he flinched and moved back in anticipation as he saw the reptile move towards him. The feline immediately moved backwards and growled more in anxiety rather than anger.

The reptile blinked, then smiled somewhat. "Calm down, small cat, I have no reason to hurt you. I just noticed… you're the one that consulted with Tarry earlier, right?"

Kajex blinked, much as he had done only minutes before. He became confused all of the sudden. "Erm… well, ah, yeah, I guess so."

The lizard laughed yet again. "Remain calm, Mr. Firedrake, my intention is not to hurt you. I wished only to greet you into the corporation, that's all."

Kajex relaxed some, but only because confusion was beginning to take place. "Wait… what do you mean by 'greet me into the corporation'?"

The lizard paused, hesitated as if Kajex had made a foolish mistake, then mused to himself. "So… he hasn't told you then, eh?" Kajex shook his head and the reptile shrugged. "Ah, well, I expect you'll know what I mean when you talk with him later today. He makes his point clearly, even if he does tend to use a rather odd accent and speaking manner. Don't worry about it until you meet him, then."

Kajex was about to respond against that, but instead broke off, muttering a "Yeah… sure," and then resuming his shower. 

The reptile moved his location a bit closer to Kajex's, which, in light of the circumstances, was understandably very uncomfortable for the jaguar. He kept calm, though, as the lizard spoke. "My name is Diego Sanchez, by the way." The lizard extended a claw to Kajex,

The feline, in turn, took and shook it. "Kajex, if you didn't know it. My last name you seem to know."

"There are actually few here that don't know about it. Rumors of your escape flight have been circulating, making you look like the popular one here. And yesterday, the kid that you took, sliced on the arm and took hostage for a while- she was our best mercenary in the corporation. She got reprimanded sorely because of the fact that she had unexpected an attack from you. You've caused a bit of a scene around here."

"Yeah… that's what I'm used to," Kajex answered truthfully. "I usually find ways to conceal myself afterwards, but it seems I'm stuck here, now." He reached for a bar of soap and lathered, simultaneously making casual conversation. "What kind of corporation is this? It seems like a legal, legitimate operation, despite the fact that you hire mercenaries and smugglers for some missions."

"Actually, you could say that. You've only seen the one side of the business. In reality, we're shipbuilders and legally modify any types of star-craft that needs to be. Of course… we have our competition, and that requires the use of…" Diego trailed off into silence, looking down a bit.

Despite the fact that he was not one to get info, Kajex was curious. "What?" He put the bar of soap down.

Diego shook his head. "As I said, you'll find out soon enough, when you speak to Tarry. All you need to know right now is that we're not blind to the fact that there are civilians housed here." He looked at Kajex, frowning. "You troubled us greatly yesterday. We had no intention of harming anybody, but when it happens, the best we can come up with are some excuses. There's more to it, I think, but that you'd have to get out from the squadron that saved your tail."

"You mean 'almost scrapped it', right?" answered Kajex, scoffing. "Well, in any case, it may not matter." He rinsed himself off, then reached for the same bar of soap. "By the way… this girl I held hostage…"

"What about her?"

"What's her name, anyway? She tried to put a bolt into my head, and I want to be able to keep an eye on her, make sure she doesn't do it again." He lathered once more, quickly this time.

Diego paused, a bit amused. "You'd want to keep your eye on everybody that was in the room at the time, I think. Trigger, as we call her, wasn't the only one to pull a blaster on you. I would have gladly blasted your kneecaps had you not pushed that guy into me. As it was, I didn't think I could hold myself from pulling the trigger. She's one of the coldest mercenaries you can meet, but as a person, she ain't that bad."

Kajex shrugged. "Whatever. So she's nice, mean, hates me, fears me; it doesn't matter anymore. I'd still like to keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn't try anything else." He rinsed himself off for the last time, turning off the water.

"Then I'll help you out on it, also," Diego said, turning his own nozzle off and withdrawing from the shower.

The jaguar blinked, eyes off of the lizard for a moment. Then he stirred, following Diego. "Hold on a sec- what do you mean you'd do that? Why would you want to keep an eye on somebody else for me?"

"You'll find out, soon."

Kajex sighed. "And what's with all the secrecy? You seem to know something that I don't. I don't need to know right now, but why is this still being kept from me?"

Diego only shook his head, drying his scaly hide with a towel. "I don't know why it _must_ be, but I do know that, nevertheless, it should be kept from you. Every pilot here has been notified and has promised to keep this quiet. So, I wouldn't expect any answers from anybody else."

He waved it off. "Ah… fine. You keep your secrets then. It's not as if you'll be able to keep them secret for long, anyways." He reached for his bundle, taking out the clothing and weaponry, yet keeping the weaponry concealed at the same time, as well. He dried himself off. "What's your job, anyway?"

"Security," Diego answered. "I stand guard for Tarry all the time. However, you should not underestimate him. He's a crack-shot with a blaster, if he has one, and deadly when he needs to be. I've seen him work." He looked away. "And he's taught me to find weapons on all persons that any prove threats… much like the medium sword and custom-made blaster you have in your clothing." He hid his smug smile.

Kajex frowned, then growled. "Hey, what makes you think-"

"I'm not going to confiscate them, if that's what you think. For one, I have a feeling that you won't use them. Secondly, there's no reason to use them anyway, not even to kill Tarry. Third, I know you know not to underestimate anybody. And what I've said about Tarry has probably given you some warning. And lastly," he said, no longer being able to hide his grin, which he gave with narrowed eyes, "I'll be right with him, just to make things tough for you. You may not see me in the room, but I'll be there."

Kajex sighed. "Fine, then. You can trust me not to pull out a blaster then."

"Indeed," Diego replied, slipping on his flight-suit. "Well… it's close to time. I'll need to be running ahead. I'll see you later, hopefully." He extended a claw.

Kajex blinked once more, then gave a half-smile, shaking it. "Right. I'll see you later, then."

The lizard nodded, then walked off.

Within a few minutes, Kajex himself was out of the shower, fully clothed, awake, and more than impatient. He jogged quickly to his ship to stick the clothes in it, then scrambled out. Before he left, he stuck his sword and blaster in their respective cases. He would take no chances when the odds were against him. He had listened to Diego's warnings, and believed them, but he wasn't willing to leave his weapons behind simply because he would be slower than any of the bodyguards Tarry would have around, which was unlikely. He had been, as far as he knew, the fastest with any weapon, to date. 

The streets around the towers were crowded around this time, making the trail to the tower long and hard to get to in a straight line. His patience started to become thin by the time he got to the tower. Many of the people seemed to be headed in the same direction as he was. Getting inside moments later, he spotted a secretary, and a long line in front of it. He walked straight up to the secretary, making some of the people within the line frown and growl at him. He ignored, and spoke to the secretary.

"Excuse me, ma'am, but Tarry Dulles is having a meeting and I'm expected to be there within a few short minutes. I don't suppose you could direct me to his headquarters?"

The secretary, a female bat with white hair, nodded and looked at a few of the screen-pads she had open. "I see. Hold on a moment… Kajex Firedrake, is it?" Kajex nodded. "You're to go to any one of the four elevators and take it to floor 55. Mr. Dulles has you on his schedule, and has asked me to give you this," she said, handing him a code card. She smiled. "Slide that into the slot next to the keypad to gain access to those upper levels. I'll notify him that you're coming."

Kajex nodded, muttered his thanks, and walked away towards the nearest elevator. Fortunately, despite the number of people that were present, nobody was using it, allowing him solitude for a moment. He entered and slid the code card through the slot next to the keypad, then waited as the elevator doors shut. 

The whirring sound of the elevator started, and the lift moved upwards at a high rate. The glass view-port on his left suddenly burst into the open, showing the surroundings of the tower from a high view. Kajex couldn't help but smile a little - it was a view that he was both used to and loved very much; as much time as he spent in a cockpit, he would never grow tired of it. Ships lifted off and landed, and the people below became like insects, then became smaller, reminding Kajex of grains of dirt.

The elevator stopped suddenly with a bit of a jerk, causing Kajex to be roused from his reflecting. He turned as the doors opened, revealing a pair of tall doors, both opened at the center. He stepped forward, his boots clomping onto what looked like an obsidian floor, and his steps echoed in a large hallway. There were no other doors, as far as Kajex could see, and this indicated the only point of entry would be through the doors before him.

As he approached, the doors opened, and his eyes became aware of a floor not unlike the one he had been stepping on. There was a large window in front of him, and before this window was a series holovisions and computer screens, flickering with multiple images. There was little noise coming from them, only small voices within the screens and holographic projectors. As he walked forward, the doors shut behind him, and another set of footsteps could be heard, these quicker and not as loud. Tarry stepped into view, a smile on his face.

"Very welcome you are, yes?"

Kajex rolled his eyes. "You've been using this accent for a while already, Tarry. Did you think I'd fall for it as your real voice and manner of speaking?"

Tarry blinked, a bit surprised.

Kajex laughed. "You're a worse actor than I thought. I hope you didn't think about speaking like that all through our conversation."

Tarry blinked again. "How did you… when-"

"It was obvious when I met you. Either somebody would have gotten incredibly annoyed enough to put a bolt into your head or you just did that to get a reaction out of me. Trust me, you're not the first, and I expect you won't be the last, either."

Tarry sighed, then spoke with a normal voice and common accent. "Alright, then, Firedrake, you've found something out about me, then. I'll give you that." He grinned. "I guess it gets annoying as hell when somebody speaks to you like that for long periods of time, eh?"

Kajex nodded. "You can only guess. Now, to our discussion, Tarry?"

The rodent moved to a chair to the side, behind a desk, and offered one to Kajex. "First, a few questions, my friend. I'd feel better knowing a little about you."

"It depends on what you'd ask," Kajex said, a little skeptical about what the mouse's motives were. "Some things about me are my own business."

Tarry nodded. "Fair enough. First off- who exactly are your parents?"

Kajex froze in place, blinking in surprise. There had not been a single person in his life that had asked him that. He hesitated before answering. "My… parents?" He shrugged. "I dunno… I've actually never met my folks at all. As far as I know, I was an orphan at St. Paula's sanctuary, on Keitraz. No one has been able to tell me who I am, actually." He considered going on, then shook it off, and frowned. "What business is it of yours, anyhow? You planning on something I might not have liked?"

Tarry laughed. "I could, you know. But if I was like every other crime lord, I'd have had all my bodyguards fire upon you from their posts _now_. But, as it is, you're no a threat to me at all, and my questions were not meant to offend anybody at all. I apologize if it has."

"It has," Kajex said bluntly. "But what's with the question, in any case?"

"I wanted to know if your family, if you had one, was aware that you were a mercenary for hire at such a young age. I must say, the deeds you have done for other of my associates and enemies are indeed astounding, but one must have been learned in the practice to have done so well, wouldn't you say?" He didn't allow Kajex to answer. "But onto another question. I'm correct in saying that you are currently unaffiliated with anybody?"

Kajex nodded slowly. "Yes… I prefer to remain on nobody's side, since nobody seems to be altogether on _my_ side anyway." He narrowed his eyes. "What are you thinking about, anyway? This had better not be for any hiring into your corporation, Tarry, because I might as well say-"

"I know well what you would say, Kajex," Tarry said, interrupting. "And I don't blame you. To be on a side is to be an enemy of another. It makes you become a target, something for somebody to aim for. You have skills that allow you to keep from getting your own head tagged for a bounty, but to become part of something means to forfeit an easier living and have more skills necessary to keep from being blown away."

Kajex nodded. "You understand my feelings on this matter well, Tarry. But your point hasn't been pointed out. What is it you wanted me to come her for?"

Tarry paused, sizing up the jaguar closely, before continuing. He turned to a screen and hit a switch on his desk. The image of an old male tiger showed up.

"About three weeks ago, Levicorp, our industrial rival, sent out a group of fighters to stop a chain of our supply convoy. We sent out our own squadron, Halo Flight, to deal with these fighters, and leading them was Commander Kenneth Parish. During the battle he was killed, and his squadron and daughter were left with having to say goodbye to a good soul." He turned to Kajex, turning off the screen and looking at Kajex closely again.

"He had started out much as you are starting out just now, young pilot. He had no care for anybody else, had very few people to all him a comrade, much less a friend. It was not until I was able to convince him to work for me that his ideals changed. Perhaps not his intention, but they did."

Kajex sighed. "I have no need to change my attitudes just now, thank you very much. I would rather you let me go on this subject. I think I know what you're going to ask me to do." He sighed. "So… say it, and free me from the subject as soon as you can."

Tarry nodded. "In a moment. Now, Kenneth was perhaps he greatest star-fighter pilot we had anywhere in our corporation, and his death became a heavy blow to us. In addition, many of the civilians onboard the supply convoy were killed. We have declared an industrial war with Levicorp because of this. They have already done this numerous times, though it was difficult to prove whether they had done so. In any case, because of this war, we need to find whatever pilots we can to be able to help us. You're one of the pilots I was hoping would join and help us."

Kajex sighed in frustration. It took him long enough to say it. "I knew it. You were going to try to recruit me into a death-trap of a war. I'm ashamed of you, Tarry- you say you know me, and yet you don't realize I'm not one to join." He scoffed. "I've heard enough, then. I'll be on my way." He got up and started to leave.

Tarry only shrugged, kept talking casually while he was turned away. "Ah, well, I figured you wouldn't join us. I know you're not afraid at all, but the risk of life would be too high, even for the amount of credits I could offer." Though no one could see it or suspect it, Tarry used peripheral vision to see the feline's actions as he said this, watching for the reaction that he would get.

Kajex froze, turned on the heel of his left boot and spun around slowly. "What was that?" he asked, curious.

"Not much," Tarry said, shrugging. "I had only said that the amount of credits I was going to pay wouldn't be near to the worth of your own life. You should live it out, of course, the way you should. I understand fully that you can't be forced to join us. I was going to pay you, of course, but, it is your life on the line, something you can't gamble with"

Kajex sat back down, a bit more interested. "I suppose I shouldn't… yet what's a life without cash for the bare minimum I need to live?"

Tarry considered, then nodded. "I suppose. But you already expressed your unwillingness to join our faction, so what else could I do to prove you?"

"What is it that you had in mind for me?"

Tarry leaned forward. "Halo Flight is the best unit I have up to date, but even their next best pilot is in no position to be the commander. I have not found a single person- avian, amphibian mammal or reptile- that even comes close to qualifying with what I had in mind. The ships we're using are thought of as too weak, also, leaving me with very little other options. I was thinking about the R-41 Starchaser series, but no one has approved…"

Kajex blinked, then considered. "Understandable. They're old, and they don't have much speed behind them when they're recharging weaponry."

"That is true," Tarry said, smiling at Kajex's knowledge of the ship, "but they seem to forget that my business involves the modifications of such fighters. Our ships are top of the line afterwards, with beam weapons if desired. It is simply a job of finding one who might take it and use it. And seeing how you are knowledgeable in such vessels, I thought it'd be a good idea to ask you to join us."

Kajex thought about this long and hard, before answering. The risks he would take, the new life he would have- no amount of money, he wagered, would be worth trying it out at all. Perhaps it'd be esily adaptable, perhaps not, and one would never know until they tried. The sum of all these factors came into his head, however, came out to a possibly positive outcome. He finally spoke. "What benefits do you have in mind?"

"Say I give you the slot to fill in with your own piloting skills. Say that I throw in 10,000 as a 'welcome-to-our-group' fund, and then 2,000 for every mission you complete. I can give you as many assignments as you wish, and you may turn them down or fill them out. I will provide you with shelter, protection from any who might wish to kill you, anything our intelligence can pick up and would be useful to you in combat. Say also that I'm willing to give you any ship at your disposal, and tweak it in any way I can without blowing it to slag. And finally, say that any modifications on your own personal vessel will be free, whether or not you decide to stay with us." He paused, seeing that Kajex was thinking of this carefully.

The jaguar continued his train of thought for a moment, then looked up, a sharp glance in his eyes. "How long would I have to stay for?"

Tarry smiled. "I would only require one week from you. If you don't like the way things are going, you are free to leave. If you feel you wish to stay, however unlikely as it seems, then you may, for as long as you wish. No strings attached."

Kajex pored over this new set of information, then looked up for a final request. "If I did… there'd be one condition."

"I'm listening," Tarry said.

"No attacking any civilians, employed with the enemy or no. Deal?"

Tarry nodded, stuck out his paw to Kajex.

Kajex considered a final time, then nodded, shaking paws with Tarry. "Very well. You have your pilot, then, Tarry."

The mouse smiled. "Excellent, Kajex! Now, I would expect you see you tomorrow at around 10:00 in the morning, to make sure you get some good rest before the day. You will need to meet up with the flight group and be introduced. You will find your ship fully repaired, by the way, when you return today And I will make sure you are fully compensated for the 10,000 from your last mission and the 10,000 from this new offer. You will find me to be as good as my word."

"I hope so, Tarry, for your sake," Kajex said, rising. "I'd be very unhappy if you didn't fill out your side of the bargain."

"You won't need to worry- until I die, everything I say goes." He smiled, then took a look at his watch. "And now, if you'll excuse me, but I have an hour to get ready for my next meeting. My weekends are always trashed. I wish you a good evening, ahead of time."

Kajex nodded. "You as well. Is there anything I should know for now, though? Nothing for me to do until you contact me?"

"No, there'll be something. I've gotten 4 of the 6 pilots that'll be joining you in flight, when you take on a mission. Not all of them have arrived, but most have agreed. By tomorrow at noon, we should have them all together at the hangar bay on the 20th floor of this building. I only require you to show up and be introduced to the pilots there. One of them will be there as your Lieutenant Commander, she will get you started with the team. Trust her, she knows what she's doing."

Kajex nodded. "Alright then, I will. I'll see you later, then." Tarry gave a nod and the jaguar left, leaving the rodent to his own affairs.

As he boarded the elevator, Kajex blew out a sigh, both tired and anxious. He had no idea what he had just gotten himself into, and this was never a good thing. He could only wait until he knew for sure what he was doing, before he could make assumptions.

Kajex… What have you gotten yourself into, boy?… 


	3. Adjacent Stripes and Diverse Pilots...

Chapter 3; Adjacent Stripes and Diverse Pilots  
  
"Okay, sure- I'll admit my appearance may be confusing to many. You ask 'what the heck are you?' and I hardly have a reply for you. All I know is that, when they took me in, they labeled me as a jaguar. Does it really matter much anymore? I stopped caring about the questions of 'what am I?' when I was old enough to figure out that I was different in some way.  
  
'Yet you might say that it'd be important to know what I am. If you're so hot about knowing, just realize that I'm some sorta feline with white stripes marking me much like a tiger's. I just don't have as much strength or bulk as they do, and that's it. Lemme ask you something in return, however- if you were orphaned by parents who obviously didn't want you around or who aren't even going to be found anytime soon, would you give a fuck about finding out about who you are?"  
  
~Kajex Firedrake, giving out a long-winded explanation of himself to somebody who is currently at gunpoint.  
  
  
  
The loud sounds- clangs, bangs, minor explosions, scratches, spark blows, welding screeches and sonic booms- filled the vast space on the twentieth floor of the building. Opened on all sides save one, with docking bays both below and above, ships poured into it, out of it, or simply hovered patiently, possibly ready to receive someone's manifest. Their pilots were neither at hand within them, nor idle. The chatter of many Lylatians helped to fill the already near-deafening collection of various sounds. It was an enigma to figure out how one was speaking to the other, save that probably one could read another's mind or lips (if any were present).  
  
Yet even so, a pair of Lylatians did manage to speak through the din, in calm tones of voice. The volume around them seemed like nothing. Indeed, had there not been any activity going on and the hangar bay hollow, their voices might have been low enough so as not to stir an echo.  
  
Diego sat upon a box of undelivered goods, looking out and around at the activity around him. Below, sitting on the ground with her back against the boxes, sat a female Siberian tiger. She was clothed in khaki pants and a brown leather jacket with which her sleeves were rolled up, opened to reveal a green shirt. Among other things, a blaster was strapped to her thigh, allowing easy access. Her expression showed nothing except the air that she might well have been bored, depressed, or both. She spoke no words until Diego spoke from his perch.  
  
"Say, how's that arm of your, Trig?" he asked casually.  
  
Trigger shrugged. "It pains me no more, it doesn't," she said, a flowing Scottish accent coming from her voice. "I'm surprised, yet, that I was still alive after that cut. Ya would've though Tarry would've directed an injured lass to medical, now, don't you think?"  
  
Diego shrugged in turn. "I think Tarry thought you could handle it. It wasn't more than about a minute before you had used your bandana as a tourniquet. It was a nasty slit though."  
  
Trigger nodded, a growl emanating from within her throat. "Aye, it was. It hurt like a muthafucker and bled like a bitch. I can't wait ta nail that bastard in the head- just a fast draw and a quick tug at the gun-hook… he'll be mine, I wager. Ain't a body who has succeeded me in a draw."  
  
Diego looked down at her with interest, though she could not see him. "Really… that'd be something to see actually. I'd like to see you two as rival mercenaries for a while. Maybe you'd learn to appreciate each other?"  
  
Trigger snorted. "Appreciate a low-wages hunter who thinks he can take advantage of women? Not likely, I say. He'll learn to keep a fair distance from me, sooner or later."  
  
Diego nodded. "He is cautious of you, to let you know."  
  
Trigger blinked, then looked up at Diego. "He… he is?"  
  
Diego nodded again. "He asked me to keep an eye on you, make sure you didn't do anything like that again. You were fast on the trigger, you know. I saw that he had only a nanosecond or two left to dodge your shot. He did it, but he was rattled by it, though he won't show it."  
  
Trigger snorted again. "What makes him think I'd do anythin' like that again, eh? If I've already proved my point, he'd do well ta stay away from me, lest he want another shot fired in his direction, aye?"  
  
There was a long silence between them. The noises within the hangar bay continued at their deafening volume. A ship had just lifted up from the lower hangar port and was speeding away, the burst of fresh engine energy filling the hangar with a gust of harmless ozone-scented fumes and another sonic boom. Trigger's white hair, colored orange towards the tips, waved wildly as the gust blew it around.  
  
After a while longer, Diego shrugged in response to the answer Trigger had given him. He had reflected on this, as he did with many other things, and jumped down from his perch. "Well, does it matter? I have a feeling he may not even come back. You know Tarry was looking into getting some pilots. I heard from him yesterday that he wanted Kajex to join our faction as a unit pilot." He circled around the boxes, looking around at a few of the ships.  
  
Trigger blinked, getting up and turning to look at Diego incredulously. "That stupid feline was asked to join us? I'll bet a fine credit that he would've been blasted to dust in a matter of seconds, I would."  
  
"Perhaps you would wager against his skill, but you didn't see his exceptional flying skills, did you? The cat has more slit in his eye to see out of while he's in a ship than a toad has a length of tongue. The pilots who attacked the custom's point say he would have been impossible to shoot down. You may well have found your match, Trigger."  
  
"Oh, aye, that's what you think, eh?" she challenged, rising on the balls of her feet and waving a clenched fist while Diego's back was turned from her. "I'd maul him in space-combat, and ye know that better than anybody else does, you do!" She calmed down, however, taking what had been said before into consideration. "Still, what does it matter? Ye said so yerself that he might not be coming back anyway. Not like it would have mattered, anyway, since he'd probably be takin' orders from me…"  
  
Diego looked back with a smile, shrugging. "Sure, Trigger, sure…"  
  
"Oh, ye don't believe me? Tarry would take me as his first choice and you know that, too!"  
  
Before she could speak more, however, she caught movement coming from the hangar bay entrance. A black feline stepped in, clad in a pair of jeans and a green jacket. She turned her head slightly, then hissed as she recognized the jaguar. Her good paw reached low and gripped the handle of her weapon, but before she could draw, Diego grasped her arm and shook his head.  
  
She blinked, not knowing what to say, and instead reluctantly obeyed with the suggestion. Her paw left the handle, and she only folded her arms and fumed as Kajex approached. As he came close, she shot him a cold look.  
  
Kajex, however, was one to read such signs. Indeed, she did seem angry and hostile towards him, but he could sense a bit of fear within her, as well. As if to confirm this, she moved back a pace or two as he came within four feet of her. He met her eyes for a moment, locked them with hers as she glared in hatred and wariness. As he returned a look somewhat similar (though with the thoughts of hatred and wariness absent), her own gaze faltered and she seemed to become exposed to his look. She immediately looked away and down, trying to ignore him.  
  
When this moment had gone by, he turned to Diego. The lizard seemed a bit baffled by his presence. "Kajex… I didn't think you'd still be here- I gotta say that I'm pretty surprised. I would have thought you'd leave by now."  
  
Kajex sighed, shook his head. "I'm wondering myself why I'm still here. It's not for the credits, I'm sure… but Tarry said to give it a whirl for at least a week, with wages."  
  
Diego laughed, a deep and almost infectious chortle that would have made Kajex smile if the situation were different. "So, you'll be joining us in flight then?"  
  
Kajex sighed, shrugged. "Again, if you know why I'm still here, tell me so I can solve it." He looked in Trigger's direction. "I don't want to be here… I especially don't want to be around her."  
  
Trigger overheard his, despite the low voice Kajex was using. "Aye? Is that so then, Firedrake? Then best you just leave us be and take yer damn credits then. I want nothing ta do with the likes of you either."  
  
"I'll take my leave when I see fit," Kajex snapped back. "As it is, I need to get a few credits to make sure I'm insured for the rest of this year, and I don't need you to make things difficult for me while I'm earning the. So do us both a favor and gag yourself."  
  
"What would you mean by that?" she growled back, tail swishing in excitement and pent up rage. "Ye cannah tell me what ta do, tailpipe! Lest ye want ta see the nozzle of my blaster shoved down yer throat, I'd suggest ye stop that kinda talk and gag yerself!"  
  
Kajex took a hostile step forward. Again, it looked like she would falter, but her slightly lifted leg did not take another pace backward yet. She fared fangs at him in response, with a growl for good measure. He growled back in response, and the air seemed to be able to choke anybody from the pure tension.  
  
Diego interjected. "Whoa up, you two, whoa up. We don't want a literal cat- fight on our claws, now do we? Calm down, Kajex, she's in one of her usual moods. And Trigger, I'd suggest that you remain silent here."  
  
Trigger looked at Kajex one last time with fiery eyes, then sighed and turned to Diego. "Look, I'll be up in Hangar 54 to see if our ships are repaired yet. Give me a buzz when you're done with him, aye?"  
  
Diego nodded approvingly. "Good idea. Cool down for a while. I'll call you when we're ready to come down."  
  
She was about to reply, perhaps something saying that if 'come down' involved Kajex's presence, that she would have preferred to have him not come (in a colorful arrangement of curses, snarls and swears, no doubt). But instead, catching a challenging, furious look from Kajex (who obviously suspected that she would go savage, tongue-wise), she closed he muzzle, looked down and nodded silently. She turned away and left.  
  
Diego watched her go, and sighed. "Sorry about that, Kajex. I hope you understand her behavior…"  
  
Kajex nodded. "I do- she's angry that I injured her the day before, and probably wants to peg me down in any way she can. I understand- it doesn't mean I'll tolerate it, however."  
  
Diego nodded. "I'm watching both of you, as a warning. I'd hate to knock some skulls around to get you two to be of sound mind to each other. You two are probably the best pilots we have in the unit, and you'll have to trust each other up there."  
  
Kajex sighed, turned away. "Another reason why I'm reluctant. I don't trust her. If she covers flank with me somewhere in front, she might well find it a good idea to slam a missile into my back. I think I've angered her enough to make her do that, truthfully, even though it's nothing new."  
  
"So you don't trust her at all?"  
  
"She nearly put a bolt in my head, Diego," Kajex replied. "If you were in my boots, would you trust her?"  
  
Diego shrugged, nodded. "You have a point, I'll confess. You can't expect to trust her. As well you shouldn't trust anybody. But right now, she's not your enemy. She may well be your rival, perhaps even a hateful person to you, but not your enemy. She knows likewise, as well, and I don't think she'll be bothering you any."  
  
"I hope not," Kajex said. He looked around. "I had noticed it before, but I didn't have a chance to say anything about it- this hangar bay is pretty unique. You get as many ships as I'm seeing everyday?"  
  
Diego shook his head. "Not really, to tell you the truth. Most of these ships are parked here for prolonged docking; their pilots having been attacked by pirates whom we think have connection to our rival businesses. It's actually a pretty new thing nowadays, but I suppose there's no real surprise about it, is there? What with Venom and all invading…"  
  
Kajex nodded. "Agreeable. You'd expect something like pirate organizations to take advantage of others." He looked around. "Who are we currently friendly with, in any case?"  
  
"Corneria. Most would say that, if it had been taken down in only a few nights, it wouldn't be worth putting our trust in; yet we do. Besides, up until Triple-Star Tech. came up, Arspace was and still is, in some ways, considered the best aspect of Corneria itself. They make some pretty stable ships, and if you couple it in with good pilots and a company that modifies ships and vessels as well as this one, then we've got ourselves a sharp air force to look forward to."  
  
The jaguar shrugged. "Stands to reason, I guess. It isn't about the justice and righteousness about it though, is it?"  
  
Diego frowned. "What, are you kidding me?" His voice had sounded serious. "Of course it is. Why would you think it otherwise?"  
  
Kajex sighed. "I don't find myself flattered by heroic deeds done by others. Nor do I, for that matter, care much about them. This is my own point of view on things, you'll understand it, right?"  
  
Diego's serious air had gone back to its normal, carefree mode. "Ah. Only for the credits, eh?"  
  
"Only for the credits."  
  
Diego shrugged. "Well, to each their own. You may find yourself being drawn into this war a bit more than you expect, I think."  
  
"I don't plan on staying that long," Kajex replied.  
  
"I wonder," Diego said to himself. He shook his head and motioned for the jaguar to follow. "Well, as long as you're here, I might as well show you the pilots. We go them all rallied up last night, around 10:15. We needed a few days to get them together, but we finally did. You'll follow me, please."  
  
He motioned the jaguar to the right with a single claw, walking in the direction of a large ship. This vessel, unlike the rest, was parked outside the hangar bay, connected only by several magnetic clamps and an extendable bridge that led into it. The vessel itself was a slim ship. A wedge shape was towards the front, and connecting it was a boxlike figure at the back.  
  
As they entered the hallway within the bridge, it became apparent that the boxlike shape was actually a series of hangars, mounted one on top of another, and side-to-side. Four of them there were, but what Kajex couldn't see was another set of hangars on the other side. Smaller ships, star fighters and the like filled these, and from only a brief count, he was amazed to discover that each hangar bay held near a maximum of 50 ships- over four squadrons for each hangar.  
  
"Holy shit…" Kajex said, blinking. "This thing is massive. Do you even have living quarters onboard that thing? It looks like you've filled the whole thing with nothing but ships…"  
  
Diego nodded. "She's actually a lot bigger on the inside. That's not to say that her hull is thin and weak, of course. She can take damage like the rest of them, fortunately. We call her the Nebula."  
  
Kajex nodded. "I must admit it's a well deserved name. She may not be as big, but she has the firepower to cause one…" He shook his head. There were only a few things that could impress him. This was one of them, however. He spotted a small group to their left, within a hangar, looking out on the insect-sized people below them. They seemed to be waiting for something. He assumed them to be the pilots for the team.  
  
After what seemed like a minute of walking- the bridge's length being quite long indeed- they reached the end of the hallway at last. The hatch was open ready to receive the two. They stepped into the ship, a warm wave of air hitting them both at once. A pair of guards looked them over, but backed away when they saw Diego's huge frame. Diego muttered something to them, which they responded to with confirmed tones of voice.  
  
As soon as he had finished, Kajex asked a question. "These pilots… are any of them the originals from Halo Flight?"  
  
Diego thought for a moment, then nodded. "Two of them, actually. The rest of them decided to try and disband, but the two remaining pilots refused to give up their positions and leave Halo Flight. The rest of the pilots whom you're going to meet are all new to space combat, and only one of them I know well enough to say that you'll want to keep her around."  
  
They made for their left; in the direction of the hangar bay that Kajex had spotted the waiting group. Coming to door that opened in response to their movements, this same hangar bay revealed itself to Kajex, this time from an inside point of view. They stepped in, the inner hangar being oddly quiet. The group of pilots that Kajex had spotted approached them.  
  
When they had gotten within 15 feet of them, Diego motioned the jaguar to stop. He stepped forward, until he was exactly in between the jaguar and the group of pilots.  
  
"Well, I guess we're all assembled here, except for Trigger. She won't be in for another few minutes and in any case, she'll need a little time to herself. I'm certain you've been anxious to find out who'll be in charge of the team; just yesterday, we finally found a volunteer for the job. This is Kajex Firedrake, a mercenary for hire who recently took on a job for us. Under a few agreements, we've convinced him to stay for a while, at least a week, so don't get too comfortable with him around, because he may not be around long enough."  
  
Kajex stepped forward, not needing any cue or gesture that indicated he could do so. The group was diverse, from his point of few. They did not make up a full squadron of twelve pilots, of course, but if one could count himself and Trigger, then the total came to eight. There was one avian, two canines, a female skunk, a newt and a raccoon.  
  
He stepped forward and the pilots, who had been standing at attention in a rigid and static fashion, only stood in place. Kajex almost laughed, but kept himself from doing so, though it was more difficult for him to keep from grinning. "At ease," he said, a bit incredulously. He turned to Diego. "Where the hell'd you get these people, Diego- the Cornerian Air Force?"  
  
Diego took Kajex aside, turning away from the pilots. "Er, you may want to watch what you say." He lowered his voice, looking at the female skunk and one of the two canines. "You've gotten the Corneria part right- the majority of them came from the academy. The skunk right there, though, just got out of reform school, but she's been known to still be a bit sensitive…"  
  
Kajex sighed in exasperation. "You're kidding me…" He put a paw to his head. "I should've said no, dammit, no…" He looked up. "I expect I'll have to put up with the same kind of attitude, with them standing up so straight that they'd come in handy as piper cleaners with shorter fur?"  
  
Diego laughed softly, shook his head. "Not at all, actually. The canine there, the Doberman- he got out of boot camp as well. He's pretty tough in a fight, but I don't think he'll cause any problems. He'll do as he's told." He looked at the rest. "As for the remaining pilots, some of them have families connected to the companies, so they actually volunteered after being rejected by the Air Force. Delta," he said, motioning to the newt, "has actually done some work for us in the past. She's no older than you are, but she works also as a technician and she'll come in handy, especially if you need a ship diagnostics check."  
  
Kajex sighed, still a bit wary. "Well… fine then… I'll put up with them if I need to." He looked them over again. "How skilled are they?"  
  
Diego stepped back, claws held up. "Hey, you're the commander here, Kajex. You find out. I only know some of them." He handed him a paper from his back pocket. "Here are their names and former occupations. Use it if you need to find out what each one specializes in."  
  
Kajex nodded, took the paper and stepped forward. "Well, as long as we're here, we might as well get a few things straight. First of all, I hate the formalities, so you can ditch calling me 'sir' or anything close to it. It's not hard at all for you to forget that, or so I hope. If you need to call me anything, just call me Kajex. Got it?" A few of them nodded, while others simply returned a glance that signaled that they would certainly refrain from using formal titles. He looked at them one by one, placing their species to their names. "Squall Daniels?" he said, looking at the falcon.  
  
The falcon rose, not much taller than Kajex himself and nodded. "That's me." His tan head feathers, which were lighter than his darker brown plumage, had been pushed backwards in a manner that made them fall behind his shoulder. His eyes held an unusual calm that made Kajex stare for a moment before replying.  
  
"You've been logged in as communications ships. Your designation is Ring 3. Welcome aboard." The falcon and sat back down silently. Kajex blinked and gave a rare smile. "Good to meet you, too."  
  
The falcon looked up, confused, then stood. "Oh, sorry. I'm just…er… feel a little out of place, that's all."  
  
Kajex nodded, rolled his eyes. "Trust me, I know that feeling." He continued. "Delta Jacobs?"  
  
The female newt stood up, gave an enthusiastically informal salute. She had a smile that almost annoyed Kajex, but she talked with a confident, upbeat tone that indicated that she was hard to get down, and made it hard for others to be so. "Right here! Nice to meet ya, Kajex!"  
  
As much as her smile would have been annoying to others, he took no irritation from her cheery greeting, and in fact was a bit towards it. "You as well, Delta. You're in charge of ship repair and diagnostics checks before and after flight. I trust you'll keep to your job?"  
  
Delta nodded, still smiling. "Trust me, if I didn't know had to fly, then fixing ships and checking them out would be all that I'd do."  
  
"Good; I'm glad that at least one member of this team indicates they're devoted to their assigned duty," Kajex said. "Aaron Elias?" His eyes caught the form of a short male raccoon.  
  
The raccoon looked up at Kajex. Something about him made him stand out more than the others, but Kajex couldn't put his claw down on it. It was a mix between hopefulness and trust. Though it was not shown in his face or his movements, it was easy to spot nevertheless, within his eyes. "At your command."  
  
Kajex shook off the feeling and nodded. "You'll be tactician for our team. You've been through officer schooling, I assume?"  
  
He nodded "Yes sir, I have." He immediately winced and grit his teeth. "Oh, uh… sorry about that."  
  
Kajex waved it off. "One mistake, that's all it was. I just don't want to hear it during flight time." He was about to speak, but he sensed the raccoon had more to say. "What is it?"  
  
Aaron opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, he seemed to think better of it and shook his head. "Never mind… it's nothing." He sat back down, seeming to drift into his own thoughts.  
  
Kajex shrugged. "Lyre Richards?"  
  
The Doberman rose and gave a curt nod to Kajex, to which Kajex returned.  
  
"You've got specialties in weapons tech. Have some sorta knack for it?"  
  
The Doberman shrugged. "You could say that." He looked up with a small glare. "Just don't be overheating your cannons too much, because it takes long enough to repair 'em and more time to replace the charge mechanism."  
  
Kajex nodded. "Alright, we'll practice proper cannon usage to lessen your workload. It doesn't mean you won't be working, though."  
  
"Tell me something I don't know," the Doberman responded, almost as if he wanted Kajex to hear him.  
  
Kajex raised an eyebrow. "Got a problem with it?"  
  
"As long as people aren't getting on my back about it, no. You, on the other hand…" he trailed off with a bit of a challenging grin. "Stay outta my business and I'll do the same."  
  
Kajex leaned forward with narrowed eyes. "Get used to it, then. I ain't gonna put up with any bullshit, coming from either you or anybody else. You have me go through it, then you will have a problem with me."  
  
"It's not like I don't already," the Doberman growled, peering at Kajex.  
  
The Doberman copied Kajex's stare and they held this for about a minute, daring the other to speak and break the silence and their patience, during which there seemed to be a tension in the air. A single movement or noise, it seemed, would set them off much like a spark to flammable gas.  
  
Then, without warning, both of them simultaneously laughed out loud. Their chuckles filled the hangar bay and confused the group of pilots. For a moment it seemed like there would be a fight, but all of the sudden, these seemingly hostile people were laughing for no reason they could comprehend.  
  
The Doberman grinned. "I think I'll get used to you, Kajex. Your attitude doesn't faze me, but I respect that mine doesn't faze you, either."  
  
Kajex nodded, also grinning. "I think flying alongside you should be interesting." He looked back at the paper. "Tekion Lupis?"  
  
The other canine, a male wolf, stood and nodded to Kajex. "That's me, Kajex."  
  
The jaguar nodded. "Your job is customs and language… you also have credentials in troop weapons, or so this says."  
  
Tekion nodded. "They want me around in case anybody decides to set a bomb or something. Don't ask me why, but I think my piloting will come in handy."  
  
Kajex shrugged. "I have yet to see if it can. Let's hope what you say is true, though." He continued. "Trace Sarrin?"  
  
The skunk timidly raised her paw. "Um… that's me, sir… erm… I mean Kajex…" She tried to smile, but one could tell that she was nervous beyond reasoning.  
  
Kajex nodded. "I hope your not as timid in a starfighter- no offense, but it seems you're almost scared to be here. None of us are going to eat you," he said, with a partial smile.  
  
She nodded, but remained silent, looking away.  
  
Kajex continued. "So… this is the group that I'm going have to take on, then…" He sighed. "Well, I can't say I'm thrilled, but you don't look so bad. I just need to figure out what skill you have." He looked them over, then frowned. He turned to Diego. "You had said that there were two members of Halo Flight that had originally been there before. Who are they?"  
  
Diego laughed. "Well, I'm one of them, actually. I've been assigned to this flight group, to make sure you do well and to aid you with any duties you may have. I'm glad to be on your flight, though, Kajex," he finished, extending a claw.  
  
Kajex blinked, but smiled gratefully inwardly, giving a grin outwardly. "Is that so… then this should be interesting. I'm at least glad that you'll be helping- you seem like the type who knows what he's doing." His smile faded slightly. "Still… who's the final member?"  
  
Diego hesitated. "The last member is… the original commander's daughter…"  
  
  
  
"Ach!! Who the fuck decided ta put these tools here?!" Trigger snarled to herself. She had barely avoided tripping over a toolbox, and only a quick recognition of the item and even quicker reflexes had kept her from doing so. She stumbled forward and regained balance.  
  
All that knew her (which weren't many at all) knew the look in her eye she currently had now, indicating that she was not one to be bothered at the moment. To those who didn't, she made her feelings quite clear. She smacked back a thread of her orange-tipped white hair and had gone stomping off as soon as she had gotten out of Diego's sight. Thus, not a word was spoken to her.  
  
She could barely believe that she would be flying alongside such a fool, an extremely dangerous person who had done her a great deal of harm. No excuses from Tarry would keep her from at least snarling at him for a good half-hour or so. She had been glad Diego had stopped her from doing anything hostile, but had also resented him for being neutral between them both. She would have rather that he had stayed out of the conversation- at the least, it would've given her a free shot at Kajex's head.  
  
The tiger made it to a terminal and logged in. A series of nameplates appeared, and she went through each one. According to the log, most of the ships had been repaired and were space-worthy. There were only 3 of them that weren't fixed properly yet, and at the moment, these vessels were being taken care of. There seemed little more to but wait, it seemed, and this surprised her a little; she wondered briefly if Tarry had planned that far ahead so that they'd be ready at moment's notice.  
  
Another thought crossed her mind, and she moved her paws across the keyboard to see if her presumption was, in any way, valid. Each nameplate on the ship was linked to an owner on the team; the computer she was using had this information in it. The list ran up. She scanned it over it with her green eyes. Within a few minutes, she went storming off, knocking over two technicians in her rage.  
  
The screen read clearly the names. And the name Kajex Firedrake had been accompanied in slot 1.  
  
  
  
Within another few minutes, she was onboard the Nebula. One of the guards blocked her path, but then saw the look in her eyes and instead backed off. She sneered at him once, then stomped past him, moving towards the hangar bay. Her thoughts were rage, and there was only person she could take it out on.  
  
She saw him in the middle of the hangar with the pilots in front of him. None of them had noticed her entrance; not even Kajex. She rushed forward, her boots causing her little noise. Still, no one noticed her approach. Then, as Trigger raised a clenched fist and brought it back behind her shoulder for her final lunge, Kajex turned in place, not expecting to see her.  
  
She caught him off guard. With a roar, she let her rage out, bringing her fist crashing against Kajex's left jaw. He fell over, and she tumbled on top of him, but refused to let up on her attack. He brought his paws up, catching one of her arms, but she bit his arm hard, causing him to growl in pain. He let go with one of his paws and caught her other fist before she could use it.  
  
"You bastard!!!" she screamed in his face, struggling to get out of his grip. "How the fuck could you do this to me?! That was my father's place, dammit! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT!!!" Tears of rage and grief ran down her face, which made Kajex pause and look on in shock and confusion. Her very eyes, gazing on him, made him feel exposed, guilty… even though he knew he had no reason to feel this way.  
  
Diego ran up to her, trying to pry her off. She would not get up easily, instead trying to hit Kajex more, screaming foul obscenities at him, a string of angry and injure-inspired curses. He only looked on, shocked and feeling unjustly guilty.  
  
With a final pull, Diego was able to get her off of the jaguar. All strength and anger seemed to fall from her, and an unrestrained orchestra of sobs went into Diego's chest as she cried, mourning her loss of her father, and the loss of what remained of his legacy, of which had been taken by the one whom she now vowed, wordlessly, would be her mortal enemy. She could not even look up at Kajex, not even to see the injuries she had caused him, not even to see that, for no reason that even Kajex could put his claw on, he was feeling culpable. 


End file.
